Valved nursing nipple



May 29, 1956 w. A. scHAlcH VALVED NURSING NIPPLE Filed July 16, 1954INVENTOR W/zm/Pfl. 54/9/01 United States Patent C VALVED NURSING NIPPLEWilbur A. Schaich, Toledo, Ohio, assignor to Owens- Illinois GlassCompany, a corporation of Ohio Application July 16, 1954, Serial No.443,855

6 Claims. (Cl. 128-252) This invention relates to an improved nursingnipple of the type incorporating a unidirectional flow value to improvethe feeding properties thereof.

It has heretofore been proposed that the uniformity of feeding can beincreased, and the amount of air taken in by the infant decreased,through the incorporation in the nipple of a unidirectional flow orcheck-valve. However, in the constructions heretofore proposed, thecheck-valve was fabricated by assemblage of two or more elements, andthe valve assemblage was mounted in the nipple as a unit. Suchcheck-valves were relatively expensive to manufacture, and, due to thefact that they constituted an assemblage of two or more members, werediflicult to clean.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved nipple andvalve construction wherein the check-valve constitutes a simpledisc-like member, which cooperates with a seating surface defined by thenipple to produce the desired unidirectional flow action. Accordingly,it is an important object of this invention to provide an improvednipple and valve construction characterized by a substantial reductionin manufacturing costs and a substantial improvement in ease of cleaningand assembling of the valve and nipple elements.

The specific nature of this invention, as well as other objects andadvantages thereof, will become familiar to those skilled in the artfrom the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with theannexed sheet of drawings on which there is shown, by way of preferredexample only, two embodiments of this invention.

On the drawings:

Figure l is a side elevational view of a well-known form of nursingbottle, on which a nipple and valve unit embodying this invention isassembled;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the nipple and valve elementembodying this invention;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the plane 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the plane 44 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view of a modified valve and nippleconstruction embodying this invention.

As shown on the drawings:

The nipple 2 embodying this invention has a conventional exteriorconfiguration, including a bulbous tip portion 3 and a base flangedportion 4, which rests upon the open mouth of a conventional nursingbottle 1 and is secured thereto by the application of aninternally-threaded collar 1a in conventional fashion. The nipple tipportion 3 is provided with one or more discharge apertures 3a anddefines the end of a central fluid passage 5 which extends to the bottomend of nipple 2, terminating in an enlarged counterbored portion 5a.Above the counterbored portion 5a, the central fluid passage 5 isradially enlarged at angularly spaced intervals, as indicated by thechambers 5b. The remaining wall portion of the fluid passage 5 betweenthe adjacent chambers 5b thus defines a plurality of verticallyextending ribs 5c. The chambers 5b have a common upwardly facing annularsurface 5d, which, as will be later described, functions as avalveseating surface. That portion of the ribs 50 immediately above thevalve-seating surface 5d is radially notched, as indicated at 5e, toprovide downwardly facing surfaces 5 which function as a stop formovement of the valve disc. A valve disc 6 is provided which is formedof lightweight, impervious sheet metal or plastic having suitablenon-corrosive properties, and is dimensioned so that its periphery willoverlie the annular valve-seating surface 5d and cooperate therewith insealing relationship. Valve disc 6 can be inserted within the notches 5eby flexible distortion of the nipple material. When thus inserted, it isapparent that only limited vertical movement of the valve disc 6 ispermitted, as defined by the space between the stop shoulder 5 on theribs 50 and the valve-seating surface 5d.

In a modified form of this invention, illustrated in Figure 5, avalve-seating surface 5g is provided which is of frusto-conical ortapered configuration, and a valve disc 7 is then provided which has itsperiphery correspondingly shaped so as to cooperate with thefrusto-conical seating surface. The modified structure has the advantageof producing a more effective sealing action when the valve disc ispressed against the valve-seating surface.

When the aforedescribed nipple 2 and enclosed valve are assembled to anursing bottle 1 by the cap 1a, it will be apparent that when the bottleis inverted, the milk in the bottle can readily flow into the hollow tipportion 3 of the nipple by unseating the relatively lightweight valvedisc and flowing around the periphery of such valve disc through thefluid passages provided by the pinrality of radial chambers 51;, thencethrough the central fluid passage 5 to the nipple discharge openings 3a.When the feeding infant compresses the bulbous tip 3, the resultingincrease in fluid pressure within the nipple will cause a seating of thevalve disc on the cooperating annular seating surface. Thus the interiorof the nipple is effectively isolated from the remainder of the bottle,and the pressure exerted by the jaws of the infant will be sufiicient toforce a quantity of fluid out through the discharge apertures 3a. Inthis manner, the infant is not required to overcome whatever degree ofvacuum may exist in the entire bottle, but has only to exert sufficientpressure to discharge the relatively small volume contents of the hollownipple.

It will be apparent also that the nipple and valve constructionembodying this invention provides the utmost economies in manufactureand is very easily cleaned. After each use, the valve disc may bereadily removed from the notches 5e by distortion of the nipple and,being a single piece of simple configuration, may be thoroughly cleanedand just as easily reinserted in the nipple for the next feeding.

It will, of course, be understood that various details of constructionmay be modified through a wide range without departing from theprinciples of this invention, and it is, therefore, not the purpose tolimit the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the scopeof the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, a feeding nipple of flexible material having a baseportion and a bulbous feeding tip, said nipple defining a central fluidpassage extending from said base portion to said feeding tip, saidnipple also defining an annular valve-seating surface formed insurrounding relation to said central fluid passage, an impervious valvemember axially movably mounted in said central fluid passage and havingan annular portion engageable with said valve-seating surface to resistfluid flow in said central fluid passage in the direction away from saidfeeding tip, and means in the wall of said central fluid passagedefining axially extending fluid passages disposed outwardly of saidvalve member, whereby fluid flow toward said feeding tip may occurwhenever said valve member is displaced from said valve-seating surface.

2. The combination defined in claim 1, wherein said valve membercomprises a thin, impervious disc sufliciently light in weight to permitthe ready axial displacement thereof in said central fluid passage bythe alternate suction and pressure force normally developed within saidnipple by the feeding action of an infant.

3. The combination defined in claim 1, wherein said valve-seatingsurface is of frusto-conical configuration, and said valve membercomprises an impervious disc hav-' ing a frusto-conically shapedperipheral portion cooperable with said valve-seating surface. 7

4. In combination, a feeding nipple of flexible material, having a baseportion and a bulbous feeding tip, said nipple defining a central fluidpassage extending from said base portion to said feeding tip, saidnipple also del fining an annular recess surrounding the lower portionsof said central fluid passage, the lower-surface of said annular recessconstituting atvalve-seating surface, an impervious, rigid valve discinsertable in said recess by flexible distortion of said nipple andfreely axially movable in said annular recess between a lower closedposition of engagement with said valve-seating surface and an upper openposition displaced from said valve-seating surface, the top surface ofsaid annular recess functioning to limit movement of said valve disctoward said feeding tip, and at least one axially extending fluidpassage formed in said nipple to permit fluid flow toward said feedingtip around the perimeter of said valve disc whenever said valve discmoves to said open position.

5. The combination defined in claim 4, wherein said valve membercomprises a thin, impervious disc sufficiently light in weight to permitthe ready axial displacement thereof in said central fluid passage bythe alternate suction and pressure force normally developed within saidnipple by the feeding action of an infant. t

6. The combination defined in claim 4, wherein said valve-seatingsurface is of frusto-conical configuration, and said valve membercomprises an impervious disc having a frusto-conically shaped peripheralportion cooperable with said valve-seating surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1.."Mi mi

